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Catchin’ Up, Catchin’ Up!

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(RE the title of this bog: I wish this was a Neil Young Song but unfortunately I just imposed my own words on an as-of-yet-known NY melody. Gomen ne!!) ***I just took a seat on the JR (Japan Railway) train to Nara and thought it might be nice to jot a few notes before some of my memories slip away effortlessly like the sound of the shrill meditation bell that vibrates my ear drum each morning. In lieu of a blow-by-blow (hey, I’m pretty exhausted!) report of my activities I think a highlight reel will do. I forgot to even mention how great Myōshinji is. Once the temple of important landholders (daimyō) in medieval Japan, the facility is decked out with clever security measures, including a hiding spot for ninjas, and secret weapon stashes. Sept. 1 • Shokokuji: a beautifully appointed (ahem, money!) Zen temple complex of crisp white Edo buildings. Toured a Zen painting exhibition that was quite masterfully organized and arranged. Saw the famous ten oxherding pictures (!!!) and marveled ...
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Sept. 6-9, 2007

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I awoke at 5:54 in the morning at Koyasan to attend the morning service. It consisted of a monk chanting along with a woman (surprising!) in a beautifully adorned room full of golden lotuses and what I believe were urns of previous Shojoshin-in monks. It was refreshing and nice, as was the light breakfast that followed. With rain drizzling, we decided just to head to Osaka, the last stop on my journey. We rode the bus, then the steep cable car, and finally a long train to Osaka. After getting utterly lost and confused in the underground mazes of shopping malls that surround the Osaka station (and most others in Japan), we finally found our hotel, which was actually very close! Before checking in, though, we simply dropped off our bags and then headed up to Kyoto, where I had been storing two more big bags! It is simply ridiculous how much stuff we have amassed. I feel so sorry for the hotel clerks, often tiny young women, who check your bags in. One insisted on taking even the h...
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Down South...

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I write now from Hiroshima, a city infamous for its WWII history as the first city to ever be hit with a nuclear weapon. After a short flight and a long bus ride (with no leg room - I am too tall for Japan!!) we arrived in Hiroshima. The plane ride was quite nice, with a view of the coastline and the Japanese alps on my right and Fuji-san looming to my left. The air hangs heavy here down south with humidity and also the memories of lives lost and needless destruction wrought on a peaceful community. I am still fanning myself at 10:48 pm in an air conditioned room while the cicadas (Jpn. semi) take their rest so they can be loud as hell in the morning, escorting my every move near any sort of tree. Our hotel faces the Memorial Peace Park, with my window allowing for a spectacular view of the river and also the A-bomb dome. I cannot yet express my feelings about this place; I can only reel at the extraordinary sadness that is hidden by this bustling, modern city. We spent all day today s...
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